Lockdowns Harm Canadians’ Mental Health, Says Outgoing MP David Sweet
Canada’s COVID-19 lockdown measures are one of the key human rights issues facing the country, says departing Conservative MP David Sweet, who has been an outspoken rights advocate during the 15 years he’s been in office. In his farewell speech in Parliament on June 15, Sweet said he decided not to run in the next […]
Canada’s COVID-19 lockdown measures are one of the key human rights issues facing the country, says departing Conservative MP David Sweet, who has been an outspoken rights advocate during the 15 years he’s been in office. In his farewell speech in Parliament on June 15, Sweet said he decided not to run in the next election because he is struggling with what he called “mental health jaundice,” which he attributed to traumatizing experiences he has had in his life and to years of hearing the “worst stories of human suffering” while serving on the parliamentary human rights committee. He also noted that “draconian lockdowns” aimed at curbing the spread of the virus have had a damaging effect on Canadians’ mental health, including possibly his own. “There were other tools they could have used rather than broad, sweeping lockdowns,” Sweet said in an interview. “I don’t speak with only my voice, ...
